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February 22, 2009

Mad Parade were one of my favorite So Cal bands in the 80s. Their shows were a kick, the lead singer Billy was tough, arrogant and swaggered around the stage with a sneer to rival Billy Idol. Although a punk band, their sound owed as much to The Who and The Jam as it did to the Pistols or The Damned. It was adrenaline igniting, pulse pounding, power pop in the spirit of 1977 punk rock.

Their first, self-titled LP in 1983 is a classic piece of punk rock. The band's sound was sharp, but raw. Their second LP "A Thousand Words" dropped in about 1985/86, and had better production values which sort of took the edge off the band's sound. But, the songs were sharper, even better written, and showed Mad Parade's real potential. I was always surprised that they didn't break out and establish themselves as one of the top tier punk/alternative groups of the late 80s. This track is my favorite off of that second LP, "Calling Out." Billy is apparently not in the band anymore, and while they continue to record and tour, the lack of his vocals has sort of put me off the new stuff. Not that it's bad, it's just not classic.

Mad Parade -- Calling Out

Here's a classic look at Mad Parade from 1985, doing one of their signature songs from their first record.